Shoreline Master Program

Public Shoreline Access Plan

The City of North Bend is advancing planning relating to public access to the Middle Fork and South Fork Snoqualmie River shorelines. To understand the community's priorities for shoreline access, the City is developing an Integrated Public Shoreline Access Plan as part of the Shoreline Master Program (SMP). This plan will address shorelines, including rivers, floodways, land within 200 feet of the high water mark, and associated wetlands within the 100-year floodplain.  The plan aims to create a cohesive network of access points and trails, enhancing recreational opportunities for residents and visitors. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Shoreline Management Act (SMA) requires all counties and most towns and cities with shorelines to develop and implement Shoreline Master Programs (SMPs). The law also defines the Department of Ecology’s role in reviewing and approving local programs. The SMA was passed by the Washington Legislature in 1971 and adopted by voters in 1972. Its overarching goal is "to prevent the inherent harm in an uncoordinated and piecemeal development of the state’s shorelines."  

Within North Bend the Shoreline includes: 

  • Streams and rivers with greater than 20 cubic feet per second mean annual flow
  • Upland areas called shorelands that extend 200 feet landward from the edge of these waters
  • Biological wetlands connected to these water bodies and Shorelines of statewide significance which are rivers flowing 1,000 cubic feet per second or more and associated wetlands

The City of North Bend performed a periodic review of the SMP which was accepted by the Department of Ecology and went into effect December 25, 2019. Council approved these amendments to Chapter 14.20 of the Municipal Code via Ordinance 1701. 

Resources to learn more about the shoreline master program

For more information about the SMP, please reach out to Senior Planner Jamie Burrell by email at jburrell@northbendwa.gov, or phone at (425) 888-7642 for more information. 

The shoreline master program Documents